IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/hal-04626846.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Internationalization through social networks: A systematic review and future research agenda

Author

Listed:
  • Xiaomin Han

    (LAREQUOI - Laboratoire de recherche en Management - UVSQ - Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines)

  • François Goxe

    (LAREQUOI - Laboratoire de recherche en Management - UVSQ - Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines)

  • Susan Freeman

Abstract

This paper provides a systematic review of 210 papers on social networks and firm internationalization published between 2010 and 2022. It presents a comprehensive analysis of how social networks influence firm internationalization, following the concept of u201cinsidershipu201d. We classify social networks into individual, organizational, and national levels, and link these network levels and their characteristics with internationalization behavior, degree, and performance. We find that social networks promote internationalization through resources, trust, knowledge, and capabilities but can also have negative effects. In addition, we integrate boundary conditions from individual, firm, and environmental levels. In particular, we show that few theories focus on the impact of decision makersu2019 psychological and cognitive mechanisms on firmsu2019 internationalization through social networks. Additionally, limited studies pursue dynamic and comparative research designs, with few adopting quasi-experimental and longitudinal qualitative methods. Therefore, we call for more creativity in exploring managerial roles and strategic decisions in internationalization through extended social network syntheses and reflective methodologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaomin Han & François Goxe & Susan Freeman, 2024. "Internationalization through social networks: A systematic review and future research agenda," Post-Print hal-04626846, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04626846
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2024.102292
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04626846
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hal.science/hal-04626846/document
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2024.102292?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Meschi, Pierre-Xavier & Wassmer, Ulrich, 2013. "The effect of foreign partner network embeddedness on international joint venture failure: Evidence from European firms’ investments in emerging economies," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 713-724.
    2. Pierre-Xavier Meschi & Ulrich Wassmer, 2013. "The effect of foreign partner network embeddedness on international joint venture failure : Evidence from European firms' investments in emerging economies," Post-Print hal-02313049, HAL.
    3. Jan-Erik Vahlne & Jan Johanson, 2020. "The Uppsala model: Networks and micro-foundations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(1), pages 4-10, February.
    4. Audra Wormald & Rajshree Agarwal & Serguey Braguinsky & Sonali K. Shah, 2021. "David overshadows Goliath: Specializing in generality for internationalization in the global mobile money industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(8), pages 1459-1489, August.
    5. Keld Laursen & Francesca Masciarelli & Andrea Prencipe, 2012. "Trapped or spurred by the home region? The effects of potential social capital on involvement in foreign markets for goods and technology," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(9), pages 783-807, December.
    6. Ciravegna, Luciano & Lopez, Luis & Kundu, Sumit, 2014. "Country of origin and network effects on internationalization: A comparative study of SMEs from an emerging and developed economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(5), pages 916-923.
    7. Tu, Wenjun & Zheng, Xiaolan & Li, Lei & Lin, Zhiang (John), 2021. "Do Chinese firms benefit from government ownership following cross-border acquisitions?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    8. Yan, Hongmin & Hu, Xiaowen & Liu, Yulong, 2020. "The international market selection of Chinese SMEs: How institutional influence overrides psychic distance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(4).
    9. Aleksandra Gregorič & Larissa Rabbiosi & Grazia D. Santangelo, 2021. "Diaspora ownership and international technology licensing by emerging market firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(4), pages 671-691, June.
    10. Srivastava, Saurabh & Singh, Shiwangi & Dhir, Sanjay, 2020. "Culture and International business research: A review and research agenda," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(4).
    11. Morgan, Horatio M. & Sui, Sui & Baum, Matthias, 2018. "Are SMEs with immigrant owners exceptional exporters?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 241-260.
    12. Robson, Matthew J. & Katsikeas, Constantine S. & Schlegelmilch, Bodo B. & Pramböck, Barbara, 2019. "Alliance capabilities, interpartner attributes, and performance outcomes in international strategic alliances," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 137-153.
    13. Duanmu, Jing-Lin & Guney, Yilmaz, 2013. "Heterogeneous effect of ethnic networks on international trade of Thailand: The role of family ties and ethnic diversity," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 126-139.
    14. Gupta, Suraksha & Malhotra, Naresh K. & Czinkota, Michael & Foroudi, Pantea, 2016. "Marketing innovation: A consequence of competitiveness," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 5671-5681.
    15. Rajneesh Narula, 2019. "Enforcing higher labor standards within developing country value chains: Consequences for MNEs and informal actors in a dual economy," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(9), pages 1622-1635, December.
    16. Francioni, Barbara & Vissak, Tiia & Musso, Fabio, 2017. "Small Italian wine producers’ internationalization: The role of network relationships in the emergence of late starters," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 12-22.
    17. Brache, Jose & Felzensztein, Christian, 2019. "Exporting firm’s engagement with trade associations: Insights from Chile," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 25-35.
    18. Kwok, Francis & Sharma, Piyush & Gaur, Sanjaya Singh & Ueno, Akiko, 2019. "Interactive effects of information exchange, relationship capital and environmental uncertainty on international joint venture (IJV) performance: An emerging markets perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 1-1.
    19. Urzelai, Berrbizne & Puig, Francisco, 2019. "Developing international social capital: The role of communities of practice and clustering," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 209-221.
    20. Witte, Caroline T. & Burger, Martijn J. & Pennings, Enrico, 2020. "When political instability devaluates home-host ties," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(4).
    21. Bathelt, Harald & Li, Pengfei, 2020. "Processes of building cross-border knowledge pipelines," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(3).
    22. Anthony P Cannizzaro, 2020. "Social influence and MNE strategic response to political risk: A global network approach," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(5), pages 829-850, July.
    23. Nordman, Emilia Rovira & Tolstoy, Daniel, 2014. "Does relationship psychic distance matter for the learning processes of internationalizing SMEs?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 30-37.
    24. Pyper, Keith & Doherty, Anne Marie, 2022. "Employing brand governance mechanisms with export channel partners: What are the performance consequences and contingent effects?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(5).
    25. Singh, Deeksha & Delios, Andrew, 2017. "Corporate governance, board networks and growth in domestic and international markets: Evidence from India," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 615-627.
    26. Pierre-Xavier Meschi & Ulrich Wassmer, 2013. "The effect of foreign partner network embeddedness on international joint venture failure: Evidence from European firms’ investments in emerging economies," Post-Print hal-01839628, HAL.
    27. Rimante Sedziniauskiene & Jurgita Sekliuckiene & Antonella Zucchella, 2019. "Networks’ Impact on the Entrepreneurial Internationalization: A Literature Review and Research Agenda," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(5), pages 779-823, October.
    28. Eberhard, Manuel & Craig, Justin, 2013. "The evolving role of organisational and personal networks in international market venturing," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 385-397.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Child, John & Narooz, Rose & Hsieh, Linda & Elbanna, Said & Karmowska, Joanna & Marinova, Svetla & Puthusserry, Pushyarag & Tsai, Terence & Zhang, Yunlu, 2022. "External resource provision and the international performance of SMEs – A contextual analysis," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(3).
    2. Ryan W. Tang & Ying Zhu & Hongbo Cai & Jinrong Han, 2021. "De-internationalization: A Thematic Review and the Directions Forward," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 267-312, June.
    3. Luis Miguel Bolívar & José Luis Roldán & Ignacio Castro-Abancéns & Cristóbal Casanueva, 2022. "Speed of International Expansion: The Mediating Role of Network Resources Mobilisation," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 62(4), pages 541-568, August.
    4. Al-Tabbaa, Omar & Zahoor, Nadia, 2024. "Alliance management capability and SMEs’ international expansion: The role of innovation pathways," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    5. Castellões, Bernardo & Silva-Rêgo, Bernardo & Dib, Luís Antônio, 2023. "Understanding divestment from an Uppsala school perspective," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(5).
    6. Child, John & Karmowska, Joanna & Shenkar, Oded, 2022. "The role of context in SME internationalization – A review," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(1).
    7. Song, Sangcheol, 2020. "Actualization of growth potential in international joint ventures: The moderating effects of localization strategies," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(2).
    8. Oehmichen, Jana & Puck, Jonas, 2016. "Embeddedness, Ownership Mode and Dynamics, and the Performance of MNE Subsidiaries," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 17-28.
    9. Jing Wu & He Li & Ling Liu & Yun Xu, 2021. "Prior ties, investor role, and venture capital syndication," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1449-1459, April.
    10. Billur Akdeniz, M. & Berk Talay, M., 2022. "Happily (N)ever after: An empirical examination of the termination of IJVs across emerging versus developed markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 390-404.
    11. Fadia Bahri Korbi & Karim Ben Slimane & Dora Triki, 2019. "Managing Crisis within International Joint Ventures Insights from the case of Délice-Danone during the Arab Spring in Tunisia," Post-Print hal-02568493, HAL.
    12. Wei, Qiao & Li, Wen Helena & De Sisto, Marco & Gu, Jinlong, 2020. "What types of top management teams' experience matter to the relationship between political hazards and foreign subsidiary performance?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(4).
    13. Jinsil Kim & Kyun Kim, 2018. "How does local partners network embeddedness affect international joint venture survival in different subnational contexts?," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 35(4), pages 1055-1080, December.
    14. Elio Shijaku & Martin Larraza-Kintana & Ainhoa Urtasun-Alonso, 2020. "Network centrality and organizational aspirations: A behavioral interaction in the context of international strategic alliances," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(5), pages 813-828, July.
    15. Oh, Eun-Teak & Chen, Hao-Cheng & Nakamoto, Ryuichi & Liu, Ren-Jye, 2024. "Alliance portfolio configuration strategies as catalysts for innovation: Evidence from international alliances between Japanese and Taiwanese manufacturing corporations," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    16. Du, Jian & Xu, Yue & Voss, Hinrich & Wang, Song, 2021. "The impact of home business network attributes on Chinese outward foreign direct investment," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4).
    17. Lee, Hyoungjin & Park, Junmin & Chung, Chris Changwha, 2022. "CEO compensation, governance structure, and foreign direct investment in conflict-prone countries," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6).
    18. Jean-Christophe Gessler, 2016. "Les pratiques collaboratives des PME en vue de leur développement international : une revue de littérature," Post-Print hal-01393156, HAL.
    19. Zahoor, Nadia & Khan, Zaheer & Shenkar, Oded, 2023. "International vertical alliances within the international business field: A systematic literature review and future research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(1).
    20. Meschi, Pierre-Xavier & Phan, Thanh Tú & Wassmer, Ulrich, 2016. "Transactional and institutional alignment of entry modes in transition economies. A survival analysis of joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries in Vietnam," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 946-959.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04626846. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.